Blogroll

Meta

Subscribe

Greenpeace Press Premiers to Sign Kyotoplus

Posted by mhudema on July 17, 2008

Greenpeace to press premiers to sign on to KYOTOplus

QUEBEC CITY, July 16 /CNW Telbec/ - Greenpeace will press Canada's
premiers to sign on to the KYOTOplus targets for greenhouse gas reductions
during the Council of the Federation meeting in Quebec City.
To emphasize the need for real action on climate change to the premiers,
Greenpeace activists will have a banner at the Council meeting highlighting
the KYOTOplus campaign outside the Chateau Frontenac at 9 a.m. Thursday
morning.
"The federal government has failed to address climate change," said
Arthur Sandborn, Greenpeace climate campaigner. "That's why we are in Quebec
City pushing our KYOTOplus campaign with the premiers." .
KYOTOplus calls for Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least
25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020. Greenpeace and its partner environmental
groups have written the premiers inviting them to sign a pledge and to push
Ottawa to meet the KYOTOplus targets. All three federal opposition leaders
signed the KYOTOplus pledge. Prime Minister Harper refused to sign.
No province has committed to the significant reductions needed to meet
KYOTOplus. Alberta has the worst performance on greenhouse gases in Canada.
Given the current frenzy of development of the tar sands, Alberta's greenhouse
gas emissions are expected to be at least 30 per cent above 1990 levels in
2020. Greenpeace rejects Alberta Premier Stelmach's plan to "sell" carbon
capture and storage as a solution to global warming during the council
meeting.
"Carbon capture and storage is an expensive technical fix that is far
from commercial application" said Sandborn. "Its high cost will actually
prevent investment in the transition to renewable energy and a carbon-free
economy."
The KYOTOplus targets are in line with the urgent call from international
scientists for action to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 and then
reduce them rapidly. Based on the present target of the Harper government,
Canada's annual emissions would be 133 million tonnes higher in 2020 than the
KYOTOplus target.
"The goal of KYOTOplus is to convince Canada to support stringent targets
for reductions at the United Nations conference on climate change in
Copenhagen in December 2009," said Sandborn.